BlackBerry opens a new channel of sales through its online store, allowing customers to purchase the unlocked versions of Q10 and Z10 smartphones.
BlackBerry continues to fight its battle to stand firm in the smartphone market race despite the heavy losses it incurred in the previous quarters. The Canadian-based phone maker has initiated a new channel of sales through its own website. Customers will be able to order and purchase unlocked versions of BlackBerry Q10 and Z10 smartphones from the company directly.
BlackBerry's latest move comes in the wake of severe losses it suffered in recent months. T-Mobile announced Wednesday that it will not stock BlackBerry smartphones in its company-owned retail outlets due to a massive decrease in customer demands. However, the carrier will continue to ship the device to the customers on request. Hence, BlackBerry's move comes as no surprise and it suggests that the phone maker will not rely on the carriers to push the sales of its devices.
Online sales might prove beneficial for the company, but it is unlikely to fix all the problems. BlackBerry is selling the unlocked versions of its flagship smartphones, which means the devices will work with any GSM network in the U.S. and other countries around the world. The smartphones will only be shipped to U.S. addresses at the moment and there has been no word on expanding its online sales to other markets.
BlackBerry suffered a huge write down of about $934 million for its unsold Z10 smartphone, a full-touch smartphone with BB 10 OS that the company hoped would turn the company's sales. Latin America, BlackBerry's strongest market, has also shown losses. The sales dried up after $196 million in the last quarter, which always ranked around half a billion dollars in that region.
BlackBerry has listed the unlocked version of Z10 smartphone for $449, which comes in both white and black colors. The Q10 smartphone is placed slightly higher at $549, available in both white and black colors for the same price.
